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Depression Desperation Creates Extreme Political Parties

Photograph: (left to right) supporters at a communism march in country Britain, Fascist leader Oswald Ernald Mosley salutes to the crowd at a Fascism march.

December 4 1934

While Britain faces economic hardship, citizens have become desperate for a political resolution, turning to extreme and new political ideologies such as communism and fascism in search of an answer.

The most popular ‘extreme’ parties have become the British Fascist Union (BFU) and the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). Both parties promise a future with less unemployment, less poverty and a better way of life.

The BFU was founded in 1932 by former Labour politician Oswald Ernald Mosley, and in its first year, gained over five thousand members in its first year. The party’s greatest success was its most recent rally at Albert Hall in London, where over 10,000 supporters were present. The BFU has similar philosophies to that of the rising Nazi Party in Germany, and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who place a focus on national pride and complete government control. A key feature of a fascist supporter or leader is a black jacket, giving them the name the ‘Black Shirts’.

Communist parties, similar to that of the successful Russian Communist movement, have also gained support, with an estimated membership of 12,000 people. A fair proportion of communist supporters come from a farming or industrial background, who are among the worst affected by the great depression. The CPGB believes in a society run completely by the government and the abolishment of private ownership. This philosophy has been prosperous in Russia, where industrial output has increased by 250 per cent in the last five years.

It is difficult to tell which way the public will vote, with both parties previously making an appearance in Parliament, however we are surrounded by countries led by believers of both philosophies that can serve Britain as an indication of what ideologies will help to relieve us of depression.